Game apparatus



Feb. 4, 1941. r J. PRESSMAN GAME APPARATUS Filed April 12, 1940 lNVENTOR kfazcob Pr esgmcen BY W ATTORNEYS ITNESSES Patented Feb. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAME APPARATUS Jacob Pressman, New York, N. Y.

Application April 12,1940, Serial No. 329,244

1 Claim. (Cl. 2731.5)

This invention relates to improved game apparatus, particularly basketball game apparatus.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved basketball game apparatus of simple and. inexpensive construction which is easy to manufacture, which may be readily assembled and disassembled but which is nevertheless rugged so as to withstand extensive and prolonged use without undue wear or breakage.

A further object is the provision of an im-- proved game apparatus of the above characterin which the basket is supported from the backboard in an improved and novel manner so that it may be conveniently applied thereto and 5 removed therefrom without the use of special tools.

In the accompanying drawing- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of basketball game apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a detailed elevational view partially in section showing the lower end of the backboard and a portion of the basket frame illustrating the manner in which the basket is applied to and'removed from the backboard; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional View in the direction of the arrows on the line '3-3 of Fig. 1.

My improved game comprises a supporting member preferably in the form of a backboard 5 having a basket 6 attached thereto in the manner hereinafter described. The backboard is preferably in the form of a flat rectangular member and may be made of any desired material of suitable strength such as wood, fiber, plastic material, or the like. So as to facilitate attachment of the backboard to a wall or other member I may provide the backboard with a pair of apertures 1 adjacent the top thereof through which screws, nails, bolts or the like may be inserted. The basket 6 is supported from the backboard in an improved manner. Thus I provide the backboard with a plurality of apertures disposed at an angle with respect to each other and I form the basket with a plurality of prongs disposed at similar angles and which are inserted in the apertures, preferably under tension so as to firmly and rigidly hold the basket in position.

In the preferred form of my invention illustrated herein I provide the backboard with a pair of angularly disposed diverging apertures 8 ex- 0 tending upwardly from the lower end of the backboard at angles of approximately 45 degrees, as shown.

The basket is composed of an elongated resilient member 9 made of resilient wire or other similar material and formed into an open loop as shown, having upwardly projecting diverging the prongs may readily be inserted into the apertures 8. The loop and prongs are so formed that when the prongs are fully inserted in the apertures 8 as illustrated in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines 10 in Fig. 2 both the loop and prongs are under slight tension so as to exert pressure against the sides of the apertures. Due to this factor and due to the resilient nature of the basket frame the prongs resist withdrawal from the apertures 15 and they firmly and rigidly hold the basket in position.

A net ll of conventional construction may be applied to the basket frame in the usual manner. While the prongs serve to hold the basket firmly 0 in position it will be appreciated that the basket may be conveniently removed from the backboard by simply compressing the loop and shifting it downwardly so as to withdraw the prongs from the apertures. 25

From the foregoing description it will be appreciated that my improved basketball game apparatus is of relatively simple, inexpensive construction and that it may be readily assembled and disassembled. In assembling the device 30 the backboard is secured in some convenient position and the basket is then attached to thebackboard by compressing the loop and inserting the prongs in the apertures. While in use the prongs serve to hold the basket firmly in position. 35

When desired, the basket can be removed from the backboard in the manner heretofore described. Many different games may be played in connection with my improved game apparatus. Thus the conventional game of basketball can 40 be played in which the' object is to toss a ball through the loop of the basket.

It should be appreciated that modifications may be made in the illustrated and described embodiment of my invention without departing 45 from the invention as set forth in the accompanying claim.

I claim- Basketball game apparatus comprising a relatively fiat backboard having a pair of pro-ximately positioned apertures therein extending upwardly from the bottom of the backboard and diverging from each other from the bottom towards the top, the axes of said apertures being in the same plane and in a plane parallel with 55 10 the apertures and the loop being partially compressed when the prongs are in the apertures so that the resilient loop will cause the prongs to exert pressure against the sides of the apertures in a direction away from each other so that the basket is releasably supported from the backboard, said loop being compressible without permanent distortion when the prongs are inserted manually within the diverging apertures.

JACOB PRESSMAN. 

